Treasure Trove

In between all the storms a few weeks back, I drove down to Borrego Springs (waaaaay down south, near the Mexican border) and then back to Sacto the next day. 1100 total miles, and a little over 20 hours of driving.

The occasion was a long-delayed visit to Rick and Laura Alexander, the retired president and treasurer of the West Coast Crosley Club. They are moving out of their home in spectacular - but remote - Borrego Springs, and heading back to San Diego, from whence they sprang, ten years ago. 

Rick sold off the bulk of his parts collection a year or so ago, but as they packed, they found Crosley tidbits, literature and related random alluvia scattered throughout the garage, including a 1946 "tin block" Crosley motor that Rick restored back in the '90s for display purposes. There is NOTHING a Crosley guy loves more than a display tin block.

Since his Crosley Super Sports is now restored, and Rick has no plans to take on another project, he offered me whatever i wanted, provided I could come get it. 

Liv and I have been trying to figure out a time we could both go down and visit, but we got COVID in November... we're fine, but the unplanned quarantine threw a wrench in the plan... with the clock ticking on their escrow, I figured I'd better just go. Of course I happened to pick a week of unbelievable storms, so it poured for 90% of the drive down and a good chunk of the way back. 

I managed to keep everything high and dry, and even found room in the garage (barely) for all my new goodies.

I'm still sorting through the boxes, but HOLY COW there is some cool stuff in there! Rick compiled a bibliography of Crosley articles, so the mountain of magazines, clippings and photocopies wasn't a surprise, but has been amazing to dig into and of course there are a ton of cool ads, etc.

Probably THE most amazing thing I've unearthed so far is a small batch of 1946 Crosley Motors paystubs, along with a photo of the employee working on the line and some notes she sent to Rick. I could not believe what I was looking at when I opened the envelope, and I can't wait to turn the contents of that packet into an article for the club newsletter.

Then there were the random surprises: a full set of NOS Crosmobile hubcaps, a banner from the 'Over the Hill Gang' - the H Modified racing club led by Joe Puckett in the '80s and '90s. Various speed equipment from Braje and others. SO MUCH COOL STUFF!

I'm really honored to be the caretaker of these treasures - although it's got me thinking about where all this stuff is gonna go when I retire from wrenching. A harrowing thought...